otisp

Ok, long story short (?):
'85 32v 5-spd. Had a fire last October, right front corner at 14-pin connector was the epicenter. Fried all three harnesses, hoses, plastic covers, tensioner etc. Got new (used) harnesses from Mark and Tom at 928 Int'l, lots of other parts from them and everybody else, etc. So, I have everything pretty much rehabbed, and almost ready to fire it up again.

BUT I'm an idiot and can't figure out where one last wire goes, on the engine harness. Branches off of the main harness before where the alternator wires do. Brown, I'm pretty sure, so it must be a ground? But I can't remember where to. I'm pretty sure I have the alternator wires correct, the two large reds and the smaller wire. I have the oil pressure sensor wires on and the oil level sender wire on. I've looked and can't find the answer anywhere.

Today I was able to dig my wife's '85 32v auto out of the driveway and get underneath it to look. And it's now more confusing because I can't find that wire on her car at all. If it is there it must branch off the harness behind the front engine cover, and on mine it's lower because of how I positioned the harness.

So I defer to all you folks with more 928 experience:
Is there a ground on the engine harness?
Could it be some kind of variation in the harness? Maybe it came off of an '86 or something?

Mrmerlin

that wire goes to the ABS block connection point ,

it routes through and in front of the driver side cam cover,
then under the ABS unit along the frame rail,
then up to the connection point next to the front of the power steering reservoir.
Its secured with a phillips head screw.

NOTE ..Warning this wire is hot all the time the battery is connected.
Make sure the battery is not connected till the wire is secured ,
otherwise you can weld the screwdriver to the fender

Alan

And I think that makes it a red wire - despite appearances

Alan

pevi

My guess is that cable has been originally red or yellow. In the harness there should not be any ground cable.

If yellow then it could be cable for starter solenoid, but it looks like too thick for that therefore I would propose ABS power cable, location front left just before radiator.

Do you have measured where is connected the other end of the cable. If starter solenoid then the other end is in 14 pin connector, if ABS the it is connected to harness +12V.

otisp

Thanks so much for all the quick responses!! And Alan you are correct, it is red. I thought I had accounted for all the red ones, and I had.
Mrmerlin, you're right, this must be the ABS wire. I just connected the battery, and it is hot. Problem is, I don't have ABS brakes. So I will partially withdraw the idiot status. Just don't ask my wife.

So then, pevi, it connects to another hot somewhere in the harness, not directly from the 14 pin? I was hoping to disconnect the other end, but I guess not.

I definitely owe you three a nice, cold, Canadian beer!

Alan

Connects at the starter on most model years. The only wire the same size as this end (smallest one there).

Alan

Mrmerlin

AHH OK.... so this car your working on has no ABS,
but the replacement harness did come from an ABS car?
so now you have an extra wire thats hot?

Please take a picture of the hotpost and 14 pin connector
and the starter

17prospective buyer

How is it supposed to be red or yellow? That would indicate a positive voltage source or B+, brown is commonly used in DIN/European makes to denote ground instead of black, although they use black to indicate ground too... bloody Germans.

CraigL

In addition, I think your alternator fresh air housing (attached to the rear of the alternator) is clocked wrong. Looking from the rear (as in your picture), I'm pretty sure it should be rotated another 90 degrees clockwise. Then the fresh air hose will line up better.

Alan

On a 928 Red is always (30) B+, Brown is always (31) Gnd. However Red wires in the engine bay age to a Brown color... that what happened to this one... If you scrape it you can sometimes see the red underneath...

Alan

otisp

Yes, found that out today, when I looked at the other car. I put the alternator back the way the PO had it, and I thought it was awkward.
Thanks!

otisp

Yes, I guess the harness must have been ABS (actually I didn't know it was available in '85).
Thanks again, Stan. I'll check at the starter tomorrow as Alan said, and then if I can't find it I'll post some more photos.

otisp

OK, got it solved I think. I had to figure out which it was at the starter because it shared a connector with another wire, seems like the one that goes up to the hot post? Anyway, got that end disconnected, so I'll have to open the covering on the last third of the harness and pull out that wire.
Thanks again everybody for all the help!!